Defendants

-1-

-5 DAYS EARLIER-

IT'S NOT EASY TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE YOU ARE GUARANTEED A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME BEFORE YOU DIE.
What the hell are you supposed to do when you know it's going to happen? Is it even worth trying to start a life?
Your heart beats are being counted, your brain is being tested, your every move is being watched- this is what basic shit feels like.
The way I'm described is Cogitative. I'm a teenager who thinks more than she should, says less than she needs to, and has never- ever loved someone in her life.
I wish it wasn't true, but there's never been someone for me to love. Anyone I've met has either left me, or died. It's hard to get attached to someone here.
Our town is huge, so it's not exactly impossible. But if you're me... good luck.

I am sitting on a cold, metal bench in front of the bunks for the 16's. I live alone, much like anyone over the age of 10.
My room is always quiet. There's little to no noise, except for the random shuffling of my bunkmate in and out of the room. Who knows where she goes.
"Charlie, you just sittin' there?"
What?
"Charlie."
I center back into the real world.
A tall boy wearing glasses and a collared shirt stares down at me. He scratches his curly brown head with spasmodic movements.
"Yes, Gram?"
"I was just wondering what you were doing."
I smile. "Nothing, as usual."
Gram nods. "You should join a club. They aren't all stupid, trust me." Gram pauses. "And they aren't all nerdy like you say you hate."
"I never said that, I just don't... particularly like those kind of clubs. Like you don't like sitting alone and doing nothing."
Gram calculates this in his head.
"When there's nothing to do I go crazy till I find something."
"Good to know." I glance at Gram's watch. The number 4 is digitally printed onto it. "You worried?" I ask.
Gram spaces out for a moment but then notices what I'm talking about. He scoffs. "How could I be? Something will happen, yes. But maybe, just maybe, it will be okay. You ever think of that, Charlie?"
"Why do you always do this to me?"
"Do what?"
"Answer my questions with another. It's not very attractive, Gram."
"Who says I want to be attractive?"
I try to respond, but can't. I smile sarcastically. I stand up and start to walk away. "I'll see you tomorrow."
In my peripheral vision I see Gram wave to me. He awkwardly puts it down, realizing that my attention isn't on him anymore.
It's now shifted from my nerdy friend to the town square, where there are a lot of people walking every which way, doing who knows what.
There's a young woman, reading a book. She's sitting on a ledge surrounding a fountain of water in the middle of the town square.
A young man is sitting on a bench a few feet away. Every few seconds he looks up with wonder in his eyes, checking if she's still there.
I see a middle-aged woman, looking around frantically. She looks down at her watch, and shakes nervously. The woman looks down one last time, and starts to cry. Not even a moment later, a loud siren erupts in front of me. Without a second thought I look down at my watch. I breathe in quickly- it wasn't me. The woman screams hoarsely- frantically. Someone walks triumphantly towards her, and punches her promptly in the head, knocking her out. I stand still, watching from a far enough distance that I'm safe but I can still see what's happening. Another person forcefully grabs her body and swings it across his back like she weighs nothing more than a child. The first watches all of the worried faces and laughs. "When it's your turn... my God you'll wish you were watchin'."